Since starting the first warm rays of sun it began on tv, pharmacies or magazines an advertising campaigns about sun protections, using the right product or specific protection, but because is so important sometime how to choose a product or why it gets confusing, today I want to help you dispels some doubts about it and to be able to enjoy the sun in the best way,
La importancia del protector solar y como elegirlo
First of all the why, why protect our self from the sun?, yes we’ve been told that to prevent skin cancer, but how is the process and why suntan without protection can develop skin cancer?
Sun emits many types o radiation, from electromagnetic radiation with different wavelengths to infrared which are the responsable of the heat we feel on the earth, but also emits two types of ultraviolet rays, UVA which are longer and UVB which are shorter, those two are the most important to take care while sunbath, both of these UV A and B if long exposure without protection can alter the DNA of the skin which can lead to skin cancer, being UV the first cause of skin cancer,
UVA is one of the most dangerous rays cause even being less potent that UVB are the longer and can penetrate further into the skin, affecting the keratinocytes in the basal layer of the skin where many studies have concluded is where the skin cancer are generated, these UVA transferred clouds and glass so even in these situation we need to protect ourselves,
UVA has a great role in aging of the skin and also they are responsible of the tanning effect, either outdoors or in a tanning salon, prolonged exposure to the UVA can damage the DNA which can lead to skin cancer, tanning is a defense system of the skin, when we get tan is cause the skin is trying to protect itself from damaging the DNA, and more the UVA from a tanning salon which is 12 times more that what the Sun emites,
And the UVB causes sunburn, damaging in a more superficial levels, also contributes to development of skin cancer, tanning an premature aging, these UVB can be found in different intensities depending of the season, location, time of the day, is more intense in a high altitud and when reflects on surfaces like snow which can return 80% or the radiation,
Now that we know the damage that the sun can produce let’s talk about protection, how to choose the right protection?
To protect ourselves from these damaging we developed a technique called SPF (sun protection factor) where the protection is not measure in the amount of protection but the time it takes to our skin to redden with SPF versus the time it takes to our skin to redden without it,
For example SPF15 protections takes 15 times the skin to redden and protects 93% of UVB, SPF30 protects 97% and SPF50 98%, being SPF15 the minimum protection recommended,
The best protection is the one that protects both from UVB and UVA, so search for those products with SPF for UVB and indicates that also protects agains UVA,
Some important tips to follow:
*Seek shade in the most dangerous times of the day from 12pm to 16pm, *Try no to sunburn, *Remember to protect also your head with a hat and use sunglasses with sunscreen, *Apply sunscreen protection 30 minutes before sun exposure and re apply it every two hours and right after bath, *Keep the newborn out of the sun, and remember not to expose or apply sunscreen a babies under six months, *Stay hydrated by drinking water regularly, *Examine regularly your skin looking for changes in moles, *Once a year visit your dermatologist to check that everything is controlled,Finally I would love say that common mistakes like not applying sunscreen out of summer season or in a cloudy day is can lead to problems, cause UVA passes clouds and UVB can be found all year around, make sure you apply sunscreen all year around, using moisturizers or skin care products with SPF can be a good solution,
I hope you liked this post and you put it on practice,
See you tomorrow, and be happy,
